Medical: Possibly pregnant at time of disappearance but not confirmed.

Circumstances of DisappearanceDebra Wilhite was last seen on October 16, 1974. After dropping her two small daughters off at her mother's house, she went to her waitress job at the old Windmill Restaurant at Highway 41 and 57 in Gibson County, Indiana. She was last seen leaving work after her shift in a green 1966 Ford Galaxy, two door hard top with Indiana license plate # 26B2953 . The vehicle has not been located.
Two witnesses that worked with Debra that evening stated they saw Wilhite speaking to a man in the restaurant before she left. One witness stated they overheard the man talking to Wilhite and he told her he had gotten there by hitching a ride on a cattle truck and asked if he could get a ride from her when she left. Out of the two witnesses, one stated Wilhite talked to the man as if they'd previously met, the other witness stated they did not believe Wilhite knew the man. The two left at the same time, but it is not known if Wilhite agreed to give him a ride. Neither Wilhite, or the vehicle she was driving has been found.
Several years later, a woman stated that her father had confessed to her he had shot Wilhite, put her body in her vehicle, and then shotgunned the vehicle into a stripper pit located outside of Elberfeld, Indiana. Because this area was a hang out for many at this time, and the pit was filled with water, it had been nicknamed "The Duck Pond".

In 1994, it was found the stripper pit had been drained of water contents and filled with approximately 30 feet of dirt in the early 1980's. When drained, the bottom of the stripper pit contained approximately 15 feet of silt, a soft, quicksand like earth. If Wilhite's vehicle were there it would not have been visible to the workers on site.
Because Wilhite left home for days at a time on occasion, she was not reported missing until several days after her disappearance.

InvestigatorsIf you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Indiana State Police
Sgt. Greg Winkler
812-425-2266

Agency Case Number: 35-3711

NCIC Number: M-004908510Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.